Four Tamil-speaking Muslim fishermen from Sri Lanka’s eastern province, whose mechanised boat went adrift after running out of fuel, were rescued by a group of Indian fishermen from Colachel in Kanyakumari district and brought ashore.

The district administration is making preliminary efforts to repatriate the Lankans, now kept in a local hotel, under police protection, Express News Service reported today.

Hailing from Ambarai district in the eastern province, the fishermen — Naib (36), Abdul Rahim (58), Mohamed Ismail Leboy (52) and Basheer (40) — had put out to the sea from the Kalmunai fishing harbour on January 9 with a plan of returning by January 13 or 14 little realising that fuel has been pilfered from the tank of their 30-feet long boat.

After they ran adrift, on January 18, they sought help from a passing merchant vessel, whose mariners gave some loaves of bread and water and then informed the Indian Coast Guard of the fishing vessel spotted about 80 nautical miles off Kanyakumari coast.
The ICG, without realising that it was a foreign vessel, alerted the district fisheries department, whose officials made enquires and found that no local boat had gone missing.

On January 24, Ranjith (35) a fisherman from Vaniyakudi near Colachel spotted the boat some 40 nautical miles from Manapadu coast in Tirunelveli district while returning after a deep sea fishing expedition with his team and brought the Lankans to Colachel on January 25.

Colachel police, district authorities and intelligence officials from both the state and Centre are interrogating the Lankans, whose repatriation can come about only after the investigating committee, headed by the district collector, sends a report to the state government.

District collector S Nagarajan said: “We will hold the meeting tomorrow (January 27) and send the report. After considering the report, both the state and central government will decide on their repatriation.”